November 28, 2025 • 27 mins
Adelita Grijalva, the first Latina –and first Chicana– to represent Arizona in Congress was sworn into office… finally. She was the deciding vote pushing for the release of the Epstein files. The Tucson native was an outspoken leader on a school board and longtime civil servant before winning a special election to fill her late father’s seat, Raul Grijalva. She says her progressive values align with his. Congresswoman Grijalva spoke to us about her upbringing and her future in a party where “Democrats being a watered down version of Republicans is not gonna cut it for the American people. Not the people that I've been talking to.”
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts.
Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Lisaakazawa.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Join me on season two of Stars and Stars with Lisa,
where I sit down with some of the most exciting
stars of our time to find out what their birth
chart reveals about their life's purpose, their relationships, and their challenges.
Winner of the Signal Award for Most Inspirational Podcast, Stars
and Stars will help you make sense of today's complicated times.
Even if you're an astrology skeptic. You can listen to
(00:24):
Stars and Stars with Lisa wherever you get your podcasts.
Don't forget to follow the show so you never miss
an episode.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's Latino USA. I'm Maria no Hoosa. Last week, the
first Latina and the very first Chigana to represent Arizona
in Congress was sworn into office. Congratulations, you're now a
member of Attack to cover. She received roaring applause and
a standing ovation on the House floor, something that frankly
(00:59):
doesn't happen that.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
And while we celebrate this moment today, our American promise
is under serious threat. Basic freedoms are under attack, healthcare
premiums are skyrocketing. Babies are being ripped away from their
parents by massed agents.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
We can and must do better.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Democrat Addita gri Helba handily won a special election in
September to represent Arizona's seventh congressional district, but her journey
to Capitol Hill since that victory has been anything but easy.
Understatement of the year. For more than seven weeks, Republican
House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed grijalbas swearing in, leaving more
(01:42):
than eight hundred thousand constituents without a representative in Congress.
During the nation's longest government shut down in history. September
twenty third, adelite To Grihova won a special election to
fill the seed vacated by the death of her late father.
She's still not a member.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Of the House right now. There's a friend mind the
just gylected in southern Arizona, and she would be a
two hundred and eighteenth vote to release the Epstein list.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
And it really calls into question whether this is an
erosion of norms of some sort, because it is unusual.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Today we are going to get to know Congresswoman Adelitea Griba.
We're going to talk about the vote to release the
Epstein files, the challenges that she and Democrats face ahead,
and what it means to be succeeding her late dad,
Raul Grijalba, a beloved member of Congress who served more
than twenty years Representative Grijalba. Welcome to Latino, USA, Bi Benita.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh, thank you Michelle and asci Us. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yeah, your dad was on the show, as you know,
I mean, that's how I met him.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Of course he was. He was accessible all the time.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
And for journalists it was actually really refreshing. But you know,
one of the questions that I never asked your dad
the many times that I interviewed him, Raoul s No,
simply Raoul, why did you name your daughter Adelita? Because
I delite that to me, as a Mexican woman is
(03:13):
an immediate image, right, it is the sorta das it
is the women who fought in the Mexican Revolution with
the bandoliers across their chest. So why did they name
their daughter Adelita? What's the story?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, so I was supposed to be Raoul Junior. Everyone
thought I was. I was a boy, and then lucky them,
I came out and there was no name because it
was just gonna be Raul. So they tried a bunch
of names, and my mom is from New Mexico and
her mom's name was Shirley.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
My grandma's name is Shirley.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
So my mom was getting a lot of pressure to
name me Shirley, and my dad, you know, all involved
in the movie Miento and Chicano powers like our daughter
cannot be named Shirley, and so my dad initially wanted
to name me Sochil and my mom's that most of
my family won't know how to spell that, let alone
pronounce it. Let's find something else. And then I was
(04:06):
going to go nameless. I was going home as baby
girl Grijalva, and my dad was in the car listening
to the radio and the song si Adelita came on.
So that's my name, and it was drilled into me
from the time I was little. You don't let anyone
change it. You make them say it correctly. My name
(04:29):
is Adelita Shirley Grijalva.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
When you think about it, it is pretty incredible that
there is an Adelita in the US Congress.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
It's been surreal.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I try not to think too much, too deep about it,
because you know, my learning curve is really steep. My
dad served in Congress for twenty two years. But I
never interned on the hill. I was never a staffer.
I've never done any of those things. So when people
make this assumption like, oh, well, you know because your
dad was here. Both if my dad were a pilot,
(05:02):
you wouldn't stick me in a cockpit and saying go.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But in a special that's what we do.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well. I think there's also the reality of how you
came into Congress as it were, representatively Haba, because most
first time members of Congress, I mean, they don't really
make a big splash run then get sworn in. But frankly,
many people were watching what was happening with whether or
not Congress was going to be capable of swearing you in.
(05:29):
The criticism has been that the Speaker of the House
refused to swear you in because you would be the
decisive vote on whether or not on the Democrat side
on whether or not to release the Epstein files. I mean,
how do you see it? Your right do process, legitimacy,
all of.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
The above, Yeah, and also the fact that over eight
hundred thousand people in southern Arizona didn't have a representative.
You know, my dad passed away in March. Literally, I
couldn't do anything. Some of our staff just got a
house email last Friday, So we are really behind the
eight ball and being able to provide services. And for
(06:10):
one person to be able not to deny us the
ability to be able to serve our community, it was
just it was unconscionable.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
And for him to say, well, she could do her job.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
She can be.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Working for her constituents. She has hard staff.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I've noticed they keep doing stunt videos outside of her office,
knocking on the door and pretending it's closed.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It shouldn't be.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
She should be in there taking calls from her constituents
and doing her job.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It's just so misogynistic and so degrading to people, and
everyone saw it. I mean, I can't tell you how
many people. I've been in the airport in Dallas and
a guy came up to me and said, are you
that member of Congress they wouldn't swear in. I said yes, sir,
and he said, you know, I'm a Republican, and I
thought that was horrible.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I'm like, thank you.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
So across the board, people are like, that is not okay,
and so we have to we're drafting legislation right now
to make sure that this doesn't happen to another person again,
regardless of party.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Do you call this an anti democratic act what Speaker
Johnson did?
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Oh? Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, you know. And the scary thing
for me and what we should all be concerned about,
is it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
As a speaker.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
You were the speaker of the House, not just of
Democrats or Republicans, you're of everybody, independence, everyone. So your
job literally is to swear people in like expeditiously. And
when he said, well, we're in a shutdown and that's
why we didn't get sworn in, I was sworn. I
was elected five days before the shutdown. So there goes
(07:40):
that idea. And then well, you know, we don't swear
people in a pro forma. Oh except for the two
Republicans you sworn in April, you did that, right, And
then you know Representative Walkinshaw, the Democrat, and that was
the last you know, on September ninth, I believe, is
the date that he was elected and sworn in the
next day. So the precedent of this speaker was to
(08:04):
square people in under twenty four hours the last three
times he had the opportunity to do it. And for me,
fifty days of waiting and then like the condescension and
just you know, the bless her heart comments. It was
went right after I was sworn in and I was
taken to go take that like really, you know the
picture that you take on the Bible all that he
(08:26):
said to me, Well, you know that wasn't None of
this was personal. She felt personal.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Wow, when you're.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Talking specifically, right, when you're talking specifically to me?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And I said, and this should never happen again, ever
to anyone.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I mean that also sounds like such for any woman,
if a man who's been treating you in a disrespectful way,
it would just be like, it's not personal. Is so condescending?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
And I reminded him that it was very personal. It
was very personal to me and the eight hundred thousand
people that couldn't get help.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It's very personal to us.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Yeah. So your very first act in Congress was, in fact,
to sign the Epstein Files Discharge petition. Finally, last week,
Trump signed a bill ordering the release of the investigative files.
So this ultimately did end up having overwhelming bipartisan support.
Those words don't even come out of our mouths anymore anymore.
(09:20):
As political journalists I'm wondering, why do you think that
this has become such a galvanizing issue.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
So I think this resonated with a lot of people
because Trump made the promise when he was running for
office on day one.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I will release the Epstein files.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, I'd be inclined to do the Epstein. I have
no problem with it.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
And here we are well into November and he didn't
release the files until pushed to do so by a
discharge petition from the House and then signed in overwhelmingly
by the Senate. And I believe that Trump heard from many,
many people that are supportive of him to say, I
don't have a toy, I have to vote in favor,
(10:02):
and so then he endorsed it.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
But he didn't have a change of heart.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So what I'm worried about is now he can say, well,
we're going to release what we can and what does
that mean? Who knows? And fortunately, there are enough people
that have had a look at these files that objectively
can say, you know, there's a lot more information that's
not out there. Even the twenty three thousand pages that
were released the day of my swearing in. That's like
(10:29):
a tiny little tip of the iceberg. Of what's there,
and for so many vulnerable people, this administration has literally
done everything they can to silence. And so the connection
I believe with the Latino community is what ICE is
doing in our communities in trying to you know, people
(10:51):
are afraid to speak in their home depot because they're
waiting for someone to come out of the woodwork and
take them in, because you know, they suspect that they
might not be here legally. If you drive a work
truck like my father in law used to, he would
have been pulled over easily. And so we in our
communities and mine specifically, you know, we see border patrol
(11:16):
in our communities in a way that we've never seen before,
militarized and empowered to treat people inhumanely like we've never
seen before. And I genuinely worried about what's going to
happen next year when their budget is twenty times what
it is today.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You are the firstborn, the eldest. You are the granddaughter
of Avrassiro. Also, of course the daughter of a member
of Congress. Interestingly, your dad had super progressive I mean
right now, super left politics, right, So I'm wondering now
that you're in Congress. How much has he helped to
(11:58):
shape your political views? That weighs on you a lot.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Oh, completely, totally.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Our political views are the same, I mean, all the
values are the same. I am proudly his daughter. And
it was really interesting because we don't talk politics at
home for the most part, I mean talk about school
and that kind of stuff. And then once I had kids,
every conversation was abound the grandkids, the grand babies as
he called them, So in our household, you know, I
(12:26):
learned a lot about my dad's politics. In school, I
took a Mexican American studies class, and my dad was
literally in the textbooks. And I think about that now
because sometimes I do things and I have to purposefully
make a point of going and talk to my kids
about what I did that day and why I did
(12:47):
it or why I voted a certain way, because I
want them to understand it. Because if we think about
how much we talk, like in our professional life, as
our job. When my dad got home, he did a
lot of listening. He would sit with my kids for
hours and my son is you know, likes to write plays,
and he talked to my dad for like two hours
(13:09):
about this play. Idea and he would just sit there.
Because my dad was had an interest in so many
things that there wasn't.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
A lot of talking at home. I love that, which I.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Know surprises a lot of people because he talks so
much at work.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
But I kind of I mean, honestly, it's kind of like, Maria,
you need to do more listening in your home and
less talking. Right coming up on letting know USA, did
you talk to your dad about you running for his seat?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah, I said no.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Several times he was asking you like that you have
you were going to run, right, And I was like,
I really don't want to, Dad, I'm happy.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Stay with us. Yes, hey, we're back. Before the break,
(14:28):
I was speaking with Arizona Congresswoman Adelita about her late father,
Congressman Ra We're gonna get back to our conversation now.
I'm sure Adelita that you are feeling a lot of
lessons from your puppy. I'm my condolences can Passidan Sa.
I'm just so honored that I had a chance to
(14:50):
meet him and interview him on multiple occasions. And it
was only in March from lung cancer. For us on
the outside, it felt quite sudden, and so it was sudden.
So how are you processing.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
I'm Cynthia every day, like you know, you could see
it here every day.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh sweeting.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Yeah, I think about them all the time.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And uh, I think the holidays are going to be rough,
and I feel like people don't remember that.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I'm in mourning too.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Yeah, and so I feel you know, what was told
to me early on is that tears are liquid prayers
and you should just let them go. And I'm like, okay,
so I do, and then you know, it just happens
and then all you know, you just just grief is
not a thing that you you know, Oh, I had
three days off of work, and I can deal with
the grief.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
It doesn't happen that way.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And it's interesting to me because I see people who
lost their parents decades ago.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And they're still Cynthia though. So I'm like, well, that
totally makes sense.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
And the other thing is is I don't want people
to stop talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Him because.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
I don't feel like we understand totally his impact nationally.
And I think that it's a great thing that now
he's getting so much credit.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Did you talk to your dad about you running for
his seat? Was that something you talked about?
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah, I said no several times. I'm like meghettos. Now,
he was asking you like me, he thought you have
you were going to run, right, And I was like,
I really don't want to, dad. I'm happy. I'm happy
here in p MC County. I loved being a supervisor.
I got to go to all of my kids stuff.
You know, my daughter's in Mariachi and my son is
(16:54):
you know, a playwright and rights plays. And my my
youngest son is like is getting his interest in all
hit the stuff that he likes with, you know, cybersecurity
and those kind of things. So, and I'm very much
a hovercraft mom. Like they were very happy. I think
that I had elected offices and stuff to do because
they're like, otherwise she's gonna be Metia on every little
(17:17):
thing we do.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
But that's a Mexican mom. That's what we do.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
So a hovercraft Mexican mom who now goes to Congress.
And the kids are like, I get winds if oh no.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
I call them several times a day like what are
you doing? Did you take your vitamins? Did you take
your allergy medicine?
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You love that that's what I do.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Yeah, And so I think that, you know, the going
to Congress is a big hit for your whole family.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
So I'm still I'm still I'm coming back every weekend.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
And that's the kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, you're coming back every weekend. Oh my god. That
just freakens me. Washington, d C. To Tucson frightens me. Andy,
not not an easy flight, Yeah, every weekend. If I
want to talk a little bit about the Democratic Party,
your dad was super left. He had these very progressive values,
(18:17):
and you say you identify one hundred percent with those values.
But you know, from the outside, I think many voters
are quite confused about what the Democratic Party stands for.
You have a situation where a very popular candidate for
mayor in New York City, an immigrant himself, Zoran Mamdani,
wins overwhelmingly a very important Latino vote, and yet Chuck Schumer,
(18:41):
you know, wouldn't, did not endorse, and yet he goes
to the White House and is welcomed by Donald Trump
in this strange fawning.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
So you're in a multiverse that's so weird right.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Now, a strange multiverse, and your part, as you said,
it's just very surreal. I want to know what you
believe that the Democratic Party needs to stand for now.
And I know you're a new member of Congress, but
you do have some power. What will you do in
terms of trying to achieve the goals that you believe
the Democratic Party should begin to stand for.
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Clearly, I think that the Democratic Party needs to move
to a progressive agenda, a working famili's agenda. And I
believe that Trump was successful with some working people because
he talked about like down to the minutia of the
price of eggs. Now we all see that his policies
(19:35):
are only going to continue to hurt our economy and
working people, and a lot of people have buyer's remorse
now They're like, well, that's not what I elected him
to do. He said he was going to do this
and he's not doing that. Okay, Well, as we get
closer to the midterms, more and more people are going
to be looking at that.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
But this idea that we have to be watered down,
that we.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Can't push progressive policies because and communities are not going
to support that is wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
And I had a conversation. I'm in Nogttlis right now.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
We just went to a senior center and went to
the food bank and trying to better understand on the
ground what the federal cuts and how they're impacting local communities.
And so I was talking to someone who said, I'm
not as left as you are, and I said, so,
tell me what are the issues that are important to you,
And then we start talking.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I said, those are all progressive issues. They are.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Do you care about public education? Well, yeah, I have grandkids.
I'm like, of course, I said, do you care about healthcare? Yes,
when they cut that, it's going to hurt me. I said,
what about this program here? And that Trump on the
chopping block is funds for this program. He's like, well,
that's not right. I'm like correct, I said, So we
have to push progressive policy agendas that are going to
(20:50):
help the vast majority of people and force billionaires and
millionaires to pay their fair share. That's how we can
afford it. But Trump's priority are his billionaire buddies. He
doesn't care about us, he doesn't care about working people.
And we have to push an agenda that is going
to resonate that way, because there is so much we
(21:10):
can do if we get together. But Democrats being a
watered down version or a moderate version of Republicans is
not going to cut it for the American people, not
the people that I've been talking to.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Stay with us, not yes, hey, we're back. And let's
wrap up my conversation with the newly sworn in Member
of Congress, Democrat Adelita Grichalba of Arizona. The issue of Gaza. You,
(21:42):
in fact, you were recommended by care the Council on
American Islamic Relations. They endorsed you because of the fact
that you refer to what's happened in Gaza as a genocide,
and yet many of your Democratic colleagues are all so
staying away, staying silent. So what do you say in
(22:04):
terms of this particular issue. If it's a genocide, then
there's what are people waiting for?
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Essentially, well, the Human Rights Council has declared it a genocide.
I didn't call it that objectively, people who analyze what's
happening called it a genocide, and so I think that
it's more important for us to stand with innocent people
and protect people. I mean, when you see children being
shot at because they're going to get food, how do
(22:35):
you sit by?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
How do you not have an opinion?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And respectfully, it's not an anti Semitic issue, and that's
part of the problem is it's like, you know, if
you're against the government of Israel, that doesn't make you
anti Semitic and against the Jewish people. It makes you
against the government, and that is a patriotic thing to do.
I am against Trump's agenda and administration point blank period.
(22:59):
That does it make me anti American? And so I
don't understand why we cannot be in support of people
and protecting people and pity against each other. I do
think that some of it has to do with the
money that comes in and is at play, specifically at
the congressional level, and that's why I am so supportive
(23:21):
of end Citizens United in those policies, because we have
to get big money out of our politics. It is
just so entrenched in it that we are hamstrung as
legislators and elected officials and doing things that we need
to do and positions that we need to take and
humanitarian issues, safety issues, because we have so many lobbyists
(23:46):
that are pushing an agenda that the vast majority of
American people don't agree with.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
I mean, it seems frankly, I they that you are
coming in ready to shake as much as you can
up in the Hall of Congress while raising three kids,
mind you, and traveling between Washington, DC and Tucson. I'm
frightened already. But we do know Osa we are capable
(24:17):
of doing many things and and and feel often unstoppable.
So the last question is actually a real softball. Mmm.
So what's gonna be the most Arizonian, Mexican American Tucson
staple that's gonna be on your Thanksgiving dinner table? And
(24:39):
who's making it?
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Well, not me.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
I can cook some I can cook some stuff. But
now we're gonna have frijoles. My mom is making them
like the chave ones. Okay, I think they're like the
fancy beans where you put like Chila's and stuff in there.
Those are my favorite, and the we're always going to
have those, you know, those are those are the stables.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
And then a lot of the desserts.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
And candies and all the fun things we eat in
the meantime in Chiladas. You know, we have some of
those along with the turkey.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
We have chilucky. Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
You serve turkey and chi lucky list Okay, I need yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And then my mom is from New.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Mexico, so We also have red Chili from New Mexico delicious.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
We're a little We're a little hotchpotch.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Well, I love that you saw a beat, even between
flying between two very different parts of the country. Congratulations
on your kids, on your family.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
I know that that thank you is.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
The thing you're proud of. Stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
I bet I am.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Yeah, my husband and I have done You know, we're
not perfect parents, but our kids are pretty perfect.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Yeah, all right, Well, we love that Democratic Congresswoman Adelitaba
represents Arizona's seventh congressional district, which is get asked, Yes, Adelitas.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
This episode was produced by Rebecca Ibarra. It was edited
by our managing editor Gernanda Echari. It was mixed by
Julia Caruso. The Latino USA team also includes from Sana Guire,
Jessica Elis, Renaldo Lanos Junior, Stephanie Lebou, Luis Luna Door,
Mat Marquis Hueta, Martin, Monica moles Garcia, J J. Krubin,
(26:39):
Adriana Rodriguez and Nancy Trujillo. Pennie Ramirez and I are
executive producers. I'm your host, Barria jo Hosa. Remember Latino USA.
Is part of Iheart's Michael Dura Podcast Network. Executive producers
and iHeart ur Leo Gomez and Arlene Santana join us
again on our next episode, Dear listener. In the meantime,
I'll see you on all of our social medi don't
(27:00):
forget to join fut plus you get to listen to
everything ad free. What's not to love Plus? You get
bonus content. It's so easy, you'll love it. Fudodo plus
Join now which just get us Yeseste Approxima Choo.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Latino USA is made possible in part by the William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation for more than fifty years advancing
ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
World at Hewlett dot org.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and the Heising Simons Foundation
unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities more at Hsfoundation dot org
I'm Lisaakazawa.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Join me on season two of Stars and Stars with Lisa,
where I sit down with some of the most exciting
stars of our time to find out what their birth
chart reveals about their life's purpose, their relationships, and their challenges.
Winner of the Signal Award for Most Inspirational Podcast, Stars
and Stars will help you make sense of today's complicated times.
Even if you're an astrology skeptic. You can listen to
(00:24):
Stars and Stars with Lisa wherever you get your podcasts.
Don't forget to follow the show so you never miss
an episode.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's Latino USA. I'm Maria no Hoosa. Last week, the
first Latina and the very first Chigana to represent Arizona
in Congress was sworn into office. Congratulations, you're now a
member of Attack to cover. She received roaring applause and
a standing ovation on the House floor, something that frankly
(00:59):
doesn't happen that.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
And while we celebrate this moment today, our American promise
is under serious threat. Basic freedoms are under attack, healthcare
premiums are skyrocketing. Babies are being ripped away from their
parents by massed agents.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
We can and must do better.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Democrat Addita gri Helba handily won a special election in
September to represent Arizona's seventh congressional district, but her journey
to Capitol Hill since that victory has been anything but easy.
Understatement of the year. For more than seven weeks, Republican
House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed grijalbas swearing in, leaving more
(01:42):
than eight hundred thousand constituents without a representative in Congress.
During the nation's longest government shut down in history. September
twenty third, adelite To Grihova won a special election to
fill the seed vacated by the death of her late father.
She's still not a member.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Of the House right now. There's a friend mind the
just gylected in southern Arizona, and she would be a
two hundred and eighteenth vote to release the Epstein list.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
And it really calls into question whether this is an
erosion of norms of some sort, because it is unusual.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Today we are going to get to know Congresswoman Adelitea Griba.
We're going to talk about the vote to release the
Epstein files, the challenges that she and Democrats face ahead,
and what it means to be succeeding her late dad,
Raul Grijalba, a beloved member of Congress who served more
than twenty years Representative Grijalba. Welcome to Latino, USA, Bi Benita.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh, thank you Michelle and asci Us. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yeah, your dad was on the show, as you know,
I mean, that's how I met him.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Of course he was. He was accessible all the time.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
And for journalists it was actually really refreshing. But you know,
one of the questions that I never asked your dad
the many times that I interviewed him, Raoul s No,
simply Raoul, why did you name your daughter Adelita? Because
I delite that to me, as a Mexican woman is
(03:13):
an immediate image, right, it is the sorta das it
is the women who fought in the Mexican Revolution with
the bandoliers across their chest. So why did they name
their daughter Adelita? What's the story?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, so I was supposed to be Raoul Junior. Everyone
thought I was. I was a boy, and then lucky them,
I came out and there was no name because it
was just gonna be Raul. So they tried a bunch
of names, and my mom is from New Mexico and
her mom's name was Shirley.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
My grandma's name is Shirley.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
So my mom was getting a lot of pressure to
name me Shirley, and my dad, you know, all involved
in the movie Miento and Chicano powers like our daughter
cannot be named Shirley, and so my dad initially wanted
to name me Sochil and my mom's that most of
my family won't know how to spell that, let alone
pronounce it. Let's find something else. And then I was
(04:06):
going to go nameless. I was going home as baby
girl Grijalva, and my dad was in the car listening
to the radio and the song si Adelita came on.
So that's my name, and it was drilled into me
from the time I was little. You don't let anyone
change it. You make them say it correctly. My name
(04:29):
is Adelita Shirley Grijalva.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
When you think about it, it is pretty incredible that
there is an Adelita in the US Congress.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
It's been surreal.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I try not to think too much, too deep about it,
because you know, my learning curve is really steep. My
dad served in Congress for twenty two years. But I
never interned on the hill. I was never a staffer.
I've never done any of those things. So when people
make this assumption like, oh, well, you know because your
dad was here. Both if my dad were a pilot,
(05:02):
you wouldn't stick me in a cockpit and saying go.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But in a special that's what we do.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well. I think there's also the reality of how you
came into Congress as it were, representatively Haba, because most
first time members of Congress, I mean, they don't really
make a big splash run then get sworn in. But frankly,
many people were watching what was happening with whether or
not Congress was going to be capable of swearing you in.
(05:29):
The criticism has been that the Speaker of the House
refused to swear you in because you would be the
decisive vote on whether or not on the Democrat side
on whether or not to release the Epstein files. I mean,
how do you see it? Your right do process, legitimacy,
all of.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
The above, Yeah, and also the fact that over eight
hundred thousand people in southern Arizona didn't have a representative.
You know, my dad passed away in March. Literally, I
couldn't do anything. Some of our staff just got a
house email last Friday, So we are really behind the
eight ball and being able to provide services. And for
(06:10):
one person to be able not to deny us the
ability to be able to serve our community, it was
just it was unconscionable.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
And for him to say, well, she could do her job.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
She can be.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Working for her constituents. She has hard staff.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I've noticed they keep doing stunt videos outside of her office,
knocking on the door and pretending it's closed.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It shouldn't be.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
She should be in there taking calls from her constituents
and doing her job.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It's just so misogynistic and so degrading to people, and
everyone saw it. I mean, I can't tell you how
many people. I've been in the airport in Dallas and
a guy came up to me and said, are you
that member of Congress they wouldn't swear in. I said yes, sir,
and he said, you know, I'm a Republican, and I
thought that was horrible.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I'm like, thank you.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
So across the board, people are like, that is not okay,
and so we have to we're drafting legislation right now
to make sure that this doesn't happen to another person again,
regardless of party.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Do you call this an anti democratic act what Speaker
Johnson did?
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Oh? Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, you know. And the scary thing
for me and what we should all be concerned about,
is it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
As a speaker.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
You were the speaker of the House, not just of
Democrats or Republicans, you're of everybody, independence, everyone. So your
job literally is to swear people in like expeditiously. And
when he said, well, we're in a shutdown and that's
why we didn't get sworn in, I was sworn. I
was elected five days before the shutdown. So there goes
(07:40):
that idea. And then well, you know, we don't swear
people in a pro forma. Oh except for the two
Republicans you sworn in April, you did that, right, And
then you know Representative Walkinshaw, the Democrat, and that was
the last you know, on September ninth, I believe, is
the date that he was elected and sworn in the
next day. So the precedent of this speaker was to
(08:04):
square people in under twenty four hours the last three
times he had the opportunity to do it. And for me,
fifty days of waiting and then like the condescension and
just you know, the bless her heart comments. It was
went right after I was sworn in and I was
taken to go take that like really, you know the
picture that you take on the Bible all that he
(08:26):
said to me, Well, you know that wasn't None of
this was personal. She felt personal.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Wow, when you're.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Talking specifically, right, when you're talking specifically to me?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And I said, and this should never happen again, ever
to anyone.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I mean that also sounds like such for any woman,
if a man who's been treating you in a disrespectful way,
it would just be like, it's not personal. Is so condescending?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
And I reminded him that it was very personal. It
was very personal to me and the eight hundred thousand
people that couldn't get help.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It's very personal to us.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Yeah. So your very first act in Congress was, in fact,
to sign the Epstein Files Discharge petition. Finally, last week,
Trump signed a bill ordering the release of the investigative files.
So this ultimately did end up having overwhelming bipartisan support.
Those words don't even come out of our mouths anymore anymore.
(09:20):
As political journalists I'm wondering, why do you think that
this has become such a galvanizing issue.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
So I think this resonated with a lot of people
because Trump made the promise when he was running for
office on day one.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I will release the Epstein files.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, I'd be inclined to do the Epstein. I have
no problem with it.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
And here we are well into November and he didn't
release the files until pushed to do so by a
discharge petition from the House and then signed in overwhelmingly
by the Senate. And I believe that Trump heard from many,
many people that are supportive of him to say, I
don't have a toy, I have to vote in favor,
(10:02):
and so then he endorsed it.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
But he didn't have a change of heart.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So what I'm worried about is now he can say, well,
we're going to release what we can and what does
that mean? Who knows? And fortunately, there are enough people
that have had a look at these files that objectively
can say, you know, there's a lot more information that's
not out there. Even the twenty three thousand pages that
were released the day of my swearing in. That's like
(10:29):
a tiny little tip of the iceberg. Of what's there,
and for so many vulnerable people, this administration has literally
done everything they can to silence. And so the connection
I believe with the Latino community is what ICE is
doing in our communities in trying to you know, people
(10:51):
are afraid to speak in their home depot because they're
waiting for someone to come out of the woodwork and
take them in, because you know, they suspect that they
might not be here legally. If you drive a work
truck like my father in law used to, he would
have been pulled over easily. And so we in our
communities and mine specifically, you know, we see border patrol
(11:16):
in our communities in a way that we've never seen before,
militarized and empowered to treat people inhumanely like we've never
seen before. And I genuinely worried about what's going to
happen next year when their budget is twenty times what
it is today.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You are the firstborn, the eldest. You are the granddaughter
of Avrassiro. Also, of course the daughter of a member
of Congress. Interestingly, your dad had super progressive I mean
right now, super left politics, right, So I'm wondering now
that you're in Congress. How much has he helped to
(11:58):
shape your political views? That weighs on you a lot.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Oh, completely, totally.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Our political views are the same, I mean, all the
values are the same. I am proudly his daughter. And
it was really interesting because we don't talk politics at
home for the most part, I mean talk about school
and that kind of stuff. And then once I had kids,
every conversation was abound the grandkids, the grand babies as
he called them, So in our household, you know, I
(12:26):
learned a lot about my dad's politics. In school, I
took a Mexican American studies class, and my dad was
literally in the textbooks. And I think about that now
because sometimes I do things and I have to purposefully
make a point of going and talk to my kids
about what I did that day and why I did
(12:47):
it or why I voted a certain way, because I
want them to understand it. Because if we think about
how much we talk, like in our professional life, as
our job. When my dad got home, he did a
lot of listening. He would sit with my kids for
hours and my son is you know, likes to write plays,
and he talked to my dad for like two hours
(13:09):
about this play. Idea and he would just sit there.
Because my dad was had an interest in so many
things that there wasn't.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
A lot of talking at home. I love that, which I.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Know surprises a lot of people because he talks so
much at work.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
But I kind of I mean, honestly, it's kind of like, Maria,
you need to do more listening in your home and
less talking. Right coming up on letting know USA, did
you talk to your dad about you running for his seat?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah, I said no.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Several times he was asking you like that you have
you were going to run, right, And I was like,
I really don't want to, Dad, I'm happy.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Stay with us. Yes, hey, we're back. Before the break,
(14:28):
I was speaking with Arizona Congresswoman Adelita about her late father,
Congressman Ra We're gonna get back to our conversation now.
I'm sure Adelita that you are feeling a lot of
lessons from your puppy. I'm my condolences can Passidan Sa.
I'm just so honored that I had a chance to
(14:50):
meet him and interview him on multiple occasions. And it
was only in March from lung cancer. For us on
the outside, it felt quite sudden, and so it was sudden.
So how are you processing.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
I'm Cynthia every day, like you know, you could see
it here every day.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh sweeting.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Yeah, I think about them all the time.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And uh, I think the holidays are going to be rough,
and I feel like people don't remember that.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I'm in mourning too.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Yeah, and so I feel you know, what was told
to me early on is that tears are liquid prayers
and you should just let them go. And I'm like, okay,
so I do, and then you know, it just happens
and then all you know, you just just grief is
not a thing that you you know, Oh, I had
three days off of work, and I can deal with
the grief.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
It doesn't happen that way.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And it's interesting to me because I see people who
lost their parents decades ago.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And they're still Cynthia though. So I'm like, well, that
totally makes sense.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
And the other thing is is I don't want people
to stop talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Him because.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
I don't feel like we understand totally his impact nationally.
And I think that it's a great thing that now
he's getting so much credit.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Did you talk to your dad about you running for
his seat? Was that something you talked about?
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah, I said no several times. I'm like meghettos. Now,
he was asking you like me, he thought you have
you were going to run, right, And I was like,
I really don't want to, dad. I'm happy. I'm happy
here in p MC County. I loved being a supervisor.
I got to go to all of my kids stuff.
You know, my daughter's in Mariachi and my son is
(16:54):
you know, a playwright and rights plays. And my my
youngest son is like is getting his interest in all
hit the stuff that he likes with, you know, cybersecurity
and those kind of things. So, and I'm very much
a hovercraft mom. Like they were very happy. I think
that I had elected offices and stuff to do because
they're like, otherwise she's gonna be Metia on every little
(17:17):
thing we do.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
But that's a Mexican mom. That's what we do.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
So a hovercraft Mexican mom who now goes to Congress.
And the kids are like, I get winds if oh no.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
I call them several times a day like what are
you doing? Did you take your vitamins? Did you take
your allergy medicine?
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You love that that's what I do.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Yeah, And so I think that, you know, the going
to Congress is a big hit for your whole family.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
So I'm still I'm still I'm coming back every weekend.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
And that's the kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, you're coming back every weekend. Oh my god. That
just freakens me. Washington, d C. To Tucson frightens me. Andy,
not not an easy flight, Yeah, every weekend. If I
want to talk a little bit about the Democratic Party,
your dad was super left. He had these very progressive values,
(18:17):
and you say you identify one hundred percent with those values.
But you know, from the outside, I think many voters
are quite confused about what the Democratic Party stands for.
You have a situation where a very popular candidate for
mayor in New York City, an immigrant himself, Zoran Mamdani,
wins overwhelmingly a very important Latino vote, and yet Chuck Schumer,
(18:41):
you know, wouldn't, did not endorse, and yet he goes
to the White House and is welcomed by Donald Trump
in this strange fawning.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
So you're in a multiverse that's so weird right.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Now, a strange multiverse, and your part, as you said,
it's just very surreal. I want to know what you
believe that the Democratic Party needs to stand for now.
And I know you're a new member of Congress, but
you do have some power. What will you do in
terms of trying to achieve the goals that you believe
the Democratic Party should begin to stand for.
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Clearly, I think that the Democratic Party needs to move
to a progressive agenda, a working famili's agenda. And I
believe that Trump was successful with some working people because
he talked about like down to the minutia of the
price of eggs. Now we all see that his policies
(19:35):
are only going to continue to hurt our economy and
working people, and a lot of people have buyer's remorse
now They're like, well, that's not what I elected him
to do. He said he was going to do this
and he's not doing that. Okay, Well, as we get
closer to the midterms, more and more people are going
to be looking at that.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
But this idea that we have to be watered down,
that we.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Can't push progressive policies because and communities are not going
to support that is wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
And I had a conversation. I'm in Nogttlis right now.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
We just went to a senior center and went to
the food bank and trying to better understand on the
ground what the federal cuts and how they're impacting local communities.
And so I was talking to someone who said, I'm
not as left as you are, and I said, so,
tell me what are the issues that are important to you,
And then we start talking.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I said, those are all progressive issues. They are.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Do you care about public education? Well, yeah, I have grandkids.
I'm like, of course, I said, do you care about healthcare? Yes,
when they cut that, it's going to hurt me. I said,
what about this program here? And that Trump on the
chopping block is funds for this program. He's like, well,
that's not right. I'm like correct, I said, So we
have to push progressive policy agendas that are going to
(20:50):
help the vast majority of people and force billionaires and
millionaires to pay their fair share. That's how we can
afford it. But Trump's priority are his billionaire buddies. He
doesn't care about us, he doesn't care about working people.
And we have to push an agenda that is going
to resonate that way, because there is so much we
(21:10):
can do if we get together. But Democrats being a
watered down version or a moderate version of Republicans is
not going to cut it for the American people, not
the people that I've been talking to.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Stay with us, not yes, hey, we're back. And let's
wrap up my conversation with the newly sworn in Member
of Congress, Democrat Adelita Grichalba of Arizona. The issue of Gaza. You,
(21:42):
in fact, you were recommended by care the Council on
American Islamic Relations. They endorsed you because of the fact
that you refer to what's happened in Gaza as a genocide,
and yet many of your Democratic colleagues are all so
staying away, staying silent. So what do you say in
(22:04):
terms of this particular issue. If it's a genocide, then
there's what are people waiting for?
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Essentially, well, the Human Rights Council has declared it a genocide.
I didn't call it that objectively, people who analyze what's
happening called it a genocide, and so I think that
it's more important for us to stand with innocent people
and protect people. I mean, when you see children being
shot at because they're going to get food, how do
(22:35):
you sit by?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
How do you not have an opinion?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And respectfully, it's not an anti Semitic issue, and that's
part of the problem is it's like, you know, if
you're against the government of Israel, that doesn't make you
anti Semitic and against the Jewish people. It makes you
against the government, and that is a patriotic thing to do.
I am against Trump's agenda and administration point blank period.
(22:59):
That does it make me anti American? And so I
don't understand why we cannot be in support of people
and protecting people and pity against each other. I do
think that some of it has to do with the
money that comes in and is at play, specifically at
the congressional level, and that's why I am so supportive
(23:21):
of end Citizens United in those policies, because we have
to get big money out of our politics. It is
just so entrenched in it that we are hamstrung as
legislators and elected officials and doing things that we need
to do and positions that we need to take and
humanitarian issues, safety issues, because we have so many lobbyists
(23:46):
that are pushing an agenda that the vast majority of
American people don't agree with.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
I mean, it seems frankly, I they that you are
coming in ready to shake as much as you can
up in the Hall of Congress while raising three kids,
mind you, and traveling between Washington, DC and Tucson. I'm
frightened already. But we do know Osa we are capable
(24:17):
of doing many things and and and feel often unstoppable.
So the last question is actually a real softball. Mmm.
So what's gonna be the most Arizonian, Mexican American Tucson
staple that's gonna be on your Thanksgiving dinner table? And
(24:39):
who's making it?
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Well, not me.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
I can cook some I can cook some stuff. But
now we're gonna have frijoles. My mom is making them
like the chave ones. Okay, I think they're like the
fancy beans where you put like Chila's and stuff in there.
Those are my favorite, and the we're always going to
have those, you know, those are those are the stables.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
And then a lot of the desserts.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
And candies and all the fun things we eat in
the meantime in Chiladas. You know, we have some of
those along with the turkey.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
We have chilucky. Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
You serve turkey and chi lucky list Okay, I need yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And then my mom is from New.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Mexico, so We also have red Chili from New Mexico delicious.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
We're a little We're a little hotchpotch.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Well, I love that you saw a beat, even between
flying between two very different parts of the country. Congratulations
on your kids, on your family.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
I know that that thank you is.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
The thing you're proud of. Stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
I bet I am.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Yeah, my husband and I have done You know, we're
not perfect parents, but our kids are pretty perfect.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Yeah, all right, Well, we love that Democratic Congresswoman Adelitaba
represents Arizona's seventh congressional district, which is get asked, Yes, Adelitas.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
This episode was produced by Rebecca Ibarra. It was edited
by our managing editor Gernanda Echari. It was mixed by
Julia Caruso. The Latino USA team also includes from Sana Guire,
Jessica Elis, Renaldo Lanos Junior, Stephanie Lebou, Luis Luna Door,
Mat Marquis Hueta, Martin, Monica moles Garcia, J J. Krubin,
(26:39):
Adriana Rodriguez and Nancy Trujillo. Pennie Ramirez and I are
executive producers. I'm your host, Barria jo Hosa. Remember Latino USA.
Is part of Iheart's Michael Dura Podcast Network. Executive producers
and iHeart ur Leo Gomez and Arlene Santana join us
again on our next episode, Dear listener. In the meantime,
I'll see you on all of our social medi don't
(27:00):
forget to join fut plus you get to listen to
everything ad free. What's not to love Plus? You get
bonus content. It's so easy, you'll love it. Fudodo plus
Join now which just get us Yeseste Approxima Choo.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Latino USA is made possible in part by the William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation for more than fifty years advancing
ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
World at Hewlett dot org.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and the Heising Simons Foundation
unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities more at Hsfoundation dot org
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.